E 475 
 .51 
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 Copy 1 
 
 
The Right Flank 
 Gettysburg. 
 
 AN ACCOUNT OF THE OPERATIONS 
 
 GENERAL GREGG'S CAVALRY COMMAND, 
 
 SHOWING THEIR IMPORTANT BEARING UPON THE RESULTS 
 OF THE BATTLE. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM BROOKE -RAWLE, 
 
 n 
 
 Secretary of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 
 
 Formerly Captain Third Pennsylvania Cavalry and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 
 
 United States Volunteers. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 Allen, Lane & Scott's Printing House, 
 
 No. 233 South Fifth Street. 
 1878. 
 

PREFACE. 
 
 The favor with which the following article was received upon its first 
 appearance in "The Philadelphia Weekly Times," of September 14th, 
 1878, as one of the series of " Chapters of Unwritten History in 
 THE Annals of the War," has suggested its republication. The 
 limited supply of copies printed in pamphlet form from the type of 
 the newspaper became exhausted sooner than was expected, and ad- 
 vantage has been taken of the demand for more, to add a few notes, 
 and to make some slight but immaterial alterations in the text. 
 
 Philadelphia, October, 1878. 
 
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THE 
 
 RIGHT FLANK AT GETTYSBURG. 
 
 It is but natural that the battle which proved to be the 
 turning-point of the Rebellion should attract more attention, 
 and be more thoroughly studied, than any other. To some, 
 it may seem late in the day to discuss a new phase of that 
 fearful struggle, but to those still living who there " assisted," 
 the whole subject is one of interest. 
 
 The " History of the Civil War in America," by the Comte 
 de Paris, has been written to the end of the year 1862 with a 
 degree of ability which is remarkable. In his search for the 
 truth concerning the campaign of Gettysburg for his forth- 
 coming volume, that author has loosened an avalanche of 
 newspaper and manuscript communications, especially from 
 " our friends on the other side," and he may well hesitate 
 before attempting to reconcile the many disputed questions 
 which have arisen. So peculiar do the views of some writers 
 appear to us, that we begin to distrust the memory of those 
 days, and almost to question the general belief that the bat- 
 tle of Gettysburg was a victory for the Union arms. Some 
 might be led to suppose that the dissensions among the Con- 
 federate leaders, rather than the ability with which General 
 Meade handled his noble army, brought about the results of 
 the battle. Indeed, it is almost becoming doubtful to the 
 minds of many of the participants in the battle whether they 
 were even present, — so different from their recollections of the 
 events do recent representations appear. 
 
 It has been insinuated by a gallant Confederate officer 
 (Major H. B. McClellan, Assistant Adjutant General on the 
 
 (5) 
 
6 
 
 staff of General J. E. B. Stuart), who, if indeed he were pres- 
 ent, might be presumed to have been in a position to judge 
 correctly, that the cavalry operations on the right flank at 
 Gettysburg resulted victoriously for his cause. That this 
 was not the case will be shown conclusively. 
 
 But little has been written of the operations of the cavalry 
 during the battle of Gettysburg. So fierce was the main en- 
 gagement, of which the infantry bore the brunt, that the 
 " affairs " of the cavalry have almost passed unnoticed, yet 
 on the right flank occurred one of the most beautiful cavalry 
 fights of the war, and one most important in its results. It 
 may be confidently asserted that, had it not been for General 
 D. McM. Gregg and the three brigades under his command 
 on the Bonaughtown road, on July 3d, 1863, that day would 
 have resulted differently, and, instead of a glorious victory, 
 the name of "Gettysburg " would suggest a state of affairs 
 which it is not agreeable to contemplate. The neglect with 
 which this portion of the battle has been treated is due, in a 
 great degree, to the want of that self-assertion which was not 
 uncommon among the officers of our Cavalry Corps. The 
 skillful leader, gallant officer, and accomplished gentleman 
 who was in command on the right flank has allowed his 
 modesty and retiring disposition to stand in the way of his 
 claiming for himself and his division the laurels to which 
 they are entitled. The Second Cavalry Division, moreover, 
 was not a favorite among the newspaper correspondents. 
 None of them were attached nominally to its staff, nor al- 
 lowed in its camps or among its men, — for its commander 
 saw the mischief which they worked. He was appreciated 
 the more for his rule, but there are instances of others thereby 
 gathering in the ephemeral records of the times the glory 
 which he had rightly earned, well knowing that no public 
 denial would come from him. It is but tardy justice which is 
 now being done to him and his command, and the importance 
 of the operations on the right flank was never brought before 
 the public until the recent appearance of Major Carpenter's 
 able article, containing extracts from the official report of the 
 Confederate General Stuart, of infinite importance to the his- 
 
7 
 
 tory of the battle, but which the War Department, for some 
 reason, has hitherto refused to the pubHc."^' 
 
 General Meade, in his official report of the battle, merely 
 refers to the fact that on the 3d of July " General Gregg was 
 engaged with the enemy on our extreme right, having passed 
 across the Baltimore pike and Bonaughtown road and boldly 
 attacked the enemy's left and rear," and in his dispatches of 
 that date he telegraphed in the evening to Washington : "My 
 cavalry have been engaged all day on both flanks of the 
 enemy, harassing and vigorously attacking him with great 
 success, notwithstanding they encountered superior numbers, 
 both cavalry and infantry." Swinton, in his " Campaigns of 
 the Army of the Potomac," states that " during the action 
 (July 3d) the cavalry had been operating on the flanks — Kil- 
 patrick's division on the left and Gregg's division on the 
 right," and, in a note, "the scope of this work does not per- 
 mit the recital of the details of the numerous cavalry affairs." 
 And Bates, in his " History of the Battle of Gettysburg," which 
 contains some good material, gives a few lines to an account 
 of the operations on the right flank, correct in the main, but 
 he erroneously locates Stuart with his cavalry on the right of 
 the Confederate line. 
 
 In the official maps of the battle-field recently published 
 by the War Department, the responsible duty of designating 
 thereon the positions of the different portions of the contending 
 armies has been assigned to Mr. John B. Bachelder. He also 
 has paid but little attention in his studies of the battle to the 
 operations of the cavalry, but in a memorandum, apparently 
 
 •■■ There has existed a wide-spread supposition that Stuart, with his cavalry, was 
 not even present at the battle of Gettysburg. This is partly owing to the fact that 
 after the battles of Aldie and Upperville Stuart became separated from Lee's army, 
 and was prevented from joining it, or from being of any assistance to its com- 
 mander during its movements preceding the battle, by the interposition of Gregg's 
 and Kilpatrick's cavalry. Stuart was thereby compelled to make a wide detour, only 
 reaching Lee on the 2d of July, and owing to this separation and the loss of the " eyes 
 and ears " of his army, Lee had, to a great extent, to move in the dark. To the fact 
 of .Stuart's absence from Lee's army many recent Confederate writers have attributed 
 the results of the campaign, while others maintain that the two brigades under 
 Generals Robertson and Jones, which did not accompany Stuart upon his independ- 
 ent movement, were amply sufficien^for the purposes of observation. 
 
accounting for the absence in other places of the Confederate 
 cavahy command of General Stuart, he makes a half-hidden 
 mention of " Gregg's Cavalry " on the maps both of the 2d 
 and 3d of July as being engaged on those days outside the 
 limits of the maps. He has fallen into error even in desig- 
 nating the roads on which those forces met. This may in 
 some degree be owing to the fact that the official surveys 
 from which the maps were prepared have not been extended 
 sufficiently far to the east to cover the field of the operations, 
 though an equivalent quantity of country to the west, upon 
 which no events of consequence occurred, has been in- 
 cluded. 
 
 Even among cavalry officers a want of appreciation has 
 been shown. General Pleasanton, who, though nominally 
 commanding the Cavalry Corps at the time, was not with any 
 of his divisions, but, according to his own account, near Gen- 
 eral Meade in the rear of the infantry line of battle, instruct- 
 ing his distinguished chief" how in half an hour to show him- 
 self a great general," has recently written an article giving an 
 outline of the valuable services of the cavalry of the Army of 
 the Potomac preceding the battle. He omits entirely to men- 
 tion the important part it took in the battle itself Though 
 concluding in a general way with a glowing tribute to its ser- 
 vices, it is difficult to ascertain from what he writes whether 
 any portion of the corps of which he was the commander was 
 actually engaged. 
 
 And finally. General Custer, who was temporarily serving 
 under General Gregg with his brigade, forwarded independ- 
 ently an official report of the movements of his command, 
 which, in some of its statements, is not entirely ingenuous. 
 In the account referred to he has taken to himself and his 
 Michigan Brigade alone the credit which, to say the least, 
 others were entitled to share. 
 
 The story of Gregg's fight has never been told. The task 
 of telling it now has devolved upon the writer, who would 
 have preferred that some other and abler hand had under- 
 taken it. As it is, the following has at least the merit of 
 being written by one who witnessed and participated in the 
 
events which he attempts to describe, and whose comrades 
 are ready to sustain him in that which he relates. 
 
 In the movements of the Army of the Potomac after cross- 
 ing that river in pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia, 
 the Cavalry Corps of the former, with its three divisions, 
 operated in front and on the flanks. General Buford, with 
 the First Division, took the left flank, General Kilpatrick, 
 with the Third Division, the centre, and General Gregg, with 
 the Second Division, which was the last of the army to leave 
 Virginia, the right flank. This disposition was maintained as 
 well as could be, but when the column of Stuart was struck, 
 Kilpatrick was followed up by Gregg. In the concentration 
 upon Gettysburg, Gregg, with the First and Third Brigades 
 of his division, left Hanover at daybreak on the 2d of July, 
 and about noon took position on the Bonaughtown (or Han- 
 over) road, near its intersection with the Salem Church (or 
 Low Dutch) road, and about three miles from the town. The 
 First Brigade, commanded by Colonel John B. Mcintosh, of 
 the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, consisted, besides his own 
 regiment, of the First New Jersey and First Maryland Cav- 
 alry regiments, and Captain A. M. Randol's Light Battery E, 
 of the First (regular) Artillery, four guns. It was temporarily 
 depleted of one-half its strength by the loss of the First Penn- 
 sylvania and First Massachusetts Cavalry regiments, which 
 had been detached for service with the Reserve Artillery and 
 the Sixth Corps, respectively. The Third Brigade, com- 
 manded by Colonel J. Irvin Gregg, of the Sixteenth Pennsyl- 
 vania Cavalry, consisted of his own regiment, the Fourth 
 Pennsylvania, First Maine, and Tenth New York Cavalry 
 regiments. In addition to Randol's battery, a section of the 
 volunteer battery belonging to the Purnell Legion was with 
 the division until the night of the 2d of July. This section, in 
 the hurrying movements of concentration, had become separ- 
 ated from its proper command, and had been found, some 
 days before, wandering around the country entirely on its own 
 account. General Gregg took it along with him, and showed 
 it some marching which astonished its fat and sleek horses 
 
lO 
 
 and well-conditioned men. The Second Brigade of the di- 
 vision, under Colonel Pennock Huey, of the Eighth Penn- 
 sylvania Cavalry, had, on the 1st of July, been sent to 
 Westminster, Maryland, to guard the army trains. 
 
 Since crossing the Potomac, on the 27th of June, the col- 
 umn had marched steadily day and night. Previously, it had 
 been on incessant duty since the opening of the campaign on 
 the 9th of June at Brandy Station, and now, having been for 
 many days without food or forage, the division arrived with 
 wearied men and jaded horses upon the field of Gettysburg. 
 Its numerical strength had, moreover, been considerably re- 
 duced, for many horses and men had dropped from exhaustion 
 along the road. So much so was this the case that, in some 
 regiments, it became necessary to consolidate the companies, 
 reducing the number of squadrons in each to three or four. 
 
 Upon reaching the Bonaughtown road, pickets were thrown 
 out, connecting with the infantry on the left and extending 
 well to the right of the road. The remainder of the com- 
 mand sought a little rest and shelter from the scorching 
 heat, Awhile from the ridges of hills could be seen the con- 
 flict between the infantry and artillery of the opposing armies. 
 About seven o'clock in the evening a line of Confederate in- 
 fantry skirmishers, covering their main column, which proved 
 to be a portion of Johnson's division of Ewell's corps, moved 
 along our front to the attack of Gulp's Hill. Screened from 
 the position occupied by the cavalry by Brinkerhoff's Ridge, 
 the enemy were not at first observed by the pickets, but a 
 party of Confederate officers, making a reconnoissance to the 
 summit of the ridge where it crosses the Bonaughtown road, 
 disclosed their approach. The section of the Purnell Battery 
 in position on the road near the Howard house planted two 
 shells in their midst. At the same moment those portions of 
 Mcintosh's brigade which were not unsaddled, and which 
 were drawn up near the Little house, mounted and moved 
 forward. Several squadrons of the Third Pennsylvania and 
 First New Jersey plunged down the hill and across Cress' 
 Run, then dismounted and deployed at the double quick. 
 Coming to the summit of Brinkerhoff's Ridge, the enemy's 
 line of Infantry was observed approaching also at a run. 
 
II 
 
 Along the summit there was a strong stone wall, which each 
 party at once saw would command possession of the field, and 
 each redoubled its efforts to secure it. The cavalrymen, how- 
 ever, reached it first — the enemy being but some ten yards 
 off — and poured in a volley from their carbines which checked 
 the advance of their adversaries. The enemy, after some in- 
 effectual attempts to take the wall, retired to a more sheltered 
 position about two hundred yards off, and heavy firing was 
 kept up until after nightfall. In the meantime, some of the 
 artillery with the division was employed upon the columns of 
 the enemy's infantry, which could be seen moving toward 
 Gulp's Hill in support of the bloody struggle for its posses- 
 sion. About ten o'clock in the evening, in accordance with 
 orders from headquarters. General Gregg withdrew the skir- 
 mish line, substituting a picket line from the First New Jersey, 
 and moved his command over to the Baltimore pike, where it 
 took position on the south side of White Run, in the rear of 
 the Reserve Artillery, and remained there during the night.* 
 On the morning of July 3d, General Gregg was directed to 
 resume his position on the right of the infantry line, and make a 
 demonstration against the enemy. Finding General Custer's 
 brigade of the Third Cavalry Division occupying his position 
 of the previous day on the Bonaughtown road, Gregg placed 
 his two brigades to the left of Custer's line, covering the right 
 of the Twelfth Corps. A regiment was dismounted and de- 
 ployed for some distance into the woods without finding any- 
 thing in front. Scarcely had this been done, however, when 
 about noon a dispatch from the commander of the Eleventh 
 Corps to General Meade was placed in General Gregg's hands, 
 notifying him that a large body of the enemy's cavalry had 
 been observed from Cemetery Hill moving toward the right 
 of our line. At the same time an order from General Pleas- 
 anton, commanding the Cavalry Corps, was received, direct- 
 ing that Custer's brigade should at once join its division (Kil- 
 patrick's) on the left. Accordingly, Mcintosh's brigade was 
 ordered to relieve Custer's, and to occupy his position on the 
 
 •■■■ This position is within the Hmits of the official maps, but no mention is made of 
 the two brigades thereon. 
 
12 
 
 right of the Bonaughtown road west of the Salem Church 
 road. 
 
 In order to appreciate the positions of the opposing forces, 
 it becomes necessary to examine the official report of General 
 J. E. B. Stuart, now in the possession of the War Department, 
 but which has never been published in full. After mention- 
 ing that his advance (Hampton's brigade) had arrived in the 
 vicinity of Gettysburg on July 2d, just in time to repulse an at- 
 tempt by our cavalry (under Kilpatrick) to reach the rear of 
 the Confederate line by way of Hunterstown, Stuart proceeds 
 to state that he took position on the York and Heidlersburg 
 roads. On the morning of the 3d he moved forward to a new 
 position to the left of General Ewell's left, and in advance of 
 it, where, from the elevated ground, there was a view of the 
 country for many miles. He was thus enabled to render 
 Ewell's left secure, and at the same time to command a view 
 of the routes leading to the rear of our lines. His purpose, 
 he states, was to effect a surprise on the rear of our main line 
 of battle. It is obvious that he intended to accomplish this 
 by way of the Baltimore pike, and the roads hereafter de- 
 scribed, simultaneously with Pickett's attack in front. In the 
 concentration of his forces for this object, however, Hampton's 
 and Fitzhugh Lee's brigades, as he further states, unfortu- 
 nately debouched into open ground, disclosing the move- 
 ment, and causing the corresponding movement of a large 
 force of our cavalry, and to this Stuart attributes his want of 
 success. Although checked in his original design, neverthe- 
 less, he adds : " Had the enemy's main body been dislodged, 
 as was confidently hoped and expected " (by Pickett's charge), 
 " I was in precisely the right position to discover it and im- 
 prove the opportunity. I watched keenly and anxiously the 
 indications in his rear for that purpose, while in the attack 
 which I intended (which was forestalled by our troops being 
 exposed to view), his cavalry would have separated from the 
 main body, and gave promise of solid results and advan- 
 tages." 
 
 Stuart acknowledges that the position which he held was 
 very strong, and he is fully justified in his description of it. 
 A country cross-road branches off from the York turnpike 
 
13 
 
 about two and a half miles from Gettysburg, and runs in a 
 south-easterly direction toward the Salem Church road, which 
 connects the York and Baltimore turnpikes. About half the 
 distance to the Salem Church road, and a mile from it, the 
 road crosses Cress' Run, and then rises to the ridge men- 
 tioned by Stuart and known as Cress' Ridge. A moderately 
 thick piece of woods on the right ends at the crest of the 
 ridge, affording protection and cover to the supports of the 
 battery which was subsequently placed there. Screened by 
 the piece of woods, and on the opposite side of the cross-road, 
 is a large open space on the Stallsmith farm, which enabled 
 the Confederate leader to mass and manoeuvre his cavalry 
 without its being observed from our position. 
 
 Gregg's position was as inferior to Stuart's as the general 
 line occupied by the main body of the Army of Northern 
 Virginia was to that occupied by the Army of the Potomac. 
 As Stuart says, the whole country for miles lay at his feet. 
 The Salem Church road crosses the Bonaughtown road nearly 
 at right angles, about three and a half miles south-east of 
 Gettysburg, at the Reever house, and continues on about two 
 miles further until it reaches the Baltimore pike about one 
 and three-fourths miles south-east of its crossing over Rock 
 Creek and the rear of centre of our main line of battle.* About 
 three-fourths of a mile north-east from the intersection of the 
 Salem Church and Bonaughtown roads, the cross-road above 
 mentioned branches off to the north-west towards Stuart's posi- 
 tion and the York pike. A piece of woods, which, since the 
 battle, has been reduced in extent, covered the intersection of 
 the Salem Church road and the cross-road on the side toward 
 the enemy's position, extending about equidistant on each road 
 from a lane leading down to John Rummel's house and farm 
 
 * A country road, parallel with the Salem Church road, and from a half mile to a 
 mile nearer Gettysburg, runs from the Bonaughtown road, at the Howard house, 
 along the valley of Cress' Run, and strikes the Baltimore pike by the bridge over 
 White Run, less than a mile south-east of the bridge over Rock Creek, near which 
 latter, by Powers' Hill, we^the Reserve Artillery and the ammunition trains. This, 
 being a more direct one than the Salem Church road, was used by our troops for 
 operating between the Baltimore pike and the Bonaughtown road, and consequently 
 the rear of our main line of battle was even more accessible by this than by the road 
 above described. 
 
14 
 
 buildings on the north to the Lott house on the south, a total 
 distance of about a half mile or more. One side of this 
 woods faced the north-west and the enemy's position. Be- 
 tween the ridge on which the Reever house stands, and along 
 which the Salem Church road runs, and the higher ridge oc- 
 cupied by Stuart, is a small creek, known as Little's Run, 
 starting from the spring-house at Rummel's. The Rummel 
 farm buildings eventually became the key-point of the field, 
 which lies about three miles east of Gettysburg. 
 
 The force under Gregg numbered about five thousand men, 
 though not more than three thousand were actually engaged 
 in the fight which occurred on the ground described. It con- 
 sisted of the three regiments of Mcintosh's brigade, Irvin 
 Gregg's brigade and Custer's brigade, which, as will appear, 
 remained on the field. This last, known as the " Michigan 
 Brigade," was composed of the First, Fifth, Sixth and Sev- 
 enth Michigan Cavalry regiments, commanded by Colonels 
 Town, Alger, Gray and Mann, respectively, and Battery M 
 of the Second (regular) Artillery, commanded by Lieutenant 
 A. C. M. Pennington. On the other hand, Stuart had with 
 him, as he states in his report, Hampton's, Fitzhugh Lee's 
 and W. H. F. Lee's brigades of cavalry, to which was added, 
 for the proposed movements of the day, Jenkins' brigade of 
 cavalry armed as mounted infantry with Enfield muskets. 
 This entire force has been estimated by reliable Confederate 
 authority at between six thousand and seven thousand men.* 
 
 When Mcintosh, with his command, came upon the ground 
 shortly before one o'clock, for the purpose of relieving Custer, 
 he found the latter in position facing Gettysburg, near the 
 junction of the Bonaughtown and Salem Church roads, and 
 covering them. In his official report of the battle, Custer 
 
 * It seems, however, that a disinterested and, therefore, more reliable, authority — 
 the Comte de Paris — has estimated the numbers of the Confederate cavalry at 
 from one-third to one-half greater than the numbers given above. It has been well 
 said by a recent writer, referring to the statement made by Stuart in his report that 
 the detachment of two brigades which did not accompany him into Pennsylvania 
 wag strong in point of numbers : " As a rule, the forces on the Southern side are 
 made out to be so nearly non-existent that one thinks of them as a shadowy army, 
 like the ghostly troops which passed before the Emperor in the French picture of 
 the 'Revue des Marts' " 
 
15 
 
 mistakes the names of the roads on which he held position. 
 He erroneously calls the Hanover or Bonaughtown road the 
 York pike, and the Salem Church road the Oxford road. He 
 states, however : 
 
 " At an early hour on the morning of the 3d, I received an 
 order, through a staff officer of the brigadier-general com- 
 manding the division, to move at once my command and fol- 
 low the First Brigade on the road leading from Two Taverns 
 to Gettysburg. Agreeably to the above instructions, my 
 column was formed and moved out on the road designated, 
 when a staff officer of Brigadier-General Gregg, commanding 
 Second Division, ordered me to take my command and place 
 it in position on the pike leading from York to Gettysburg, 
 which position formed the extreme right of our battle on that 
 day. Upon arriving at the point designated, I immediately 
 placed my command in position, facing toward Gettysburg. 
 At the same time I caused reconnoissances to be made on my 
 front, right and rear, but failed to discover any considerable 
 force of the enemy. Everything remained quiet till 10 A M., 
 when the enemy appeared on my right flank and opened upon 
 me with a battery of six guns. Leaving two guns and a regi- 
 ment to hold my first position and cover the road leading to 
 Gettysburg, I shifted the remaining portion of my command, 
 forming a new line of battle at right angles to my former 
 line. The enemy had obtained correct range of my new po- 
 sition, and were pouring solid shot and shell into my com- 
 mand with great accuracy. Placing two sections of Battery 
 M, Second (regular) Artillery, in position, I ordered them to 
 silence the enemy's battery, which order, notwithstanding the 
 superiority of the enemy's position, was successfully accom- 
 plished in a very short space of time. My line, as it then 
 existed, was shaped like the letter L, the shorter branch 
 formed of the section of Battery M, supported by four squad- 
 rons of the Sixth Michigan Cavalry, faced toward Gettysburg, 
 covering Gettysburg pike ; the long branch composed of the 
 remaining two sections of Battery M, Second Artillery, sup- 
 ported by a portion of the Sixth Michigan Cavalry, on . the 
 right, while the Seventh Michigan Cavalry, still further to the 
 
i6 
 
 right and in advance, was held in readiness to repel any at- 
 tack the enemy might make coming on the Oxford road. 
 The Fifth Michigan Cavalry was dismounted and ordered to 
 take position in front of my centre and left. The First Michi- 
 gan Cavalry was held in columns of squadrons to observe the 
 movements of the enemy. I ordered fifty men to be sent one 
 mile and a half on the Oxford road, while a detachment of 
 equal size was sent one mile and a half on the road leading 
 from Gettysburg to York, both detachments being under the 
 command of the gallant Major Webber, who from time to 
 time kept me so well informed of the movements of the enemy 
 that I was enabled to make my dispositions with complete 
 success. 
 
 "At twelve o'clock an order was transmitted to me from the 
 brigadier-general commandmg the division, by one of his 
 aids, directing me, upon being relieved by a brigade from 
 the Second Division, to move with my command and form 
 a junction with the First Brigade on the extreme left. On 
 the arrival of the brigade of the Second Division, commanded 
 by Colonel Mcintosh, I prepared to execute the order." 
 
 The remaining portions of his account require re-statement 
 for reasons already mentioned. 
 
 Upon notifying Custer of the orders to relieve him, Mc- 
 intosh inquired as to his picket line and the position and 
 force of the enemy. Nothing was said as to any previous 
 firing, and everything was quiet at the time. Custer reported, 
 however, that the enemy were all around, and that an attack 
 might be expected at any moment from the right and rear. 
 The First New Jersey, under Major Beaumont, was at once 
 ordered out mounted to relieve Custer's lines, and took posi- 
 tion in the woods on the Salem Church road, facing to the 
 north-west. The Third Pennsylvania, under Lieutenant-Col- 
 onel Jones, and First Maryland, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Deems, were drawn up in close columns of squadrons in a 
 clover-field west of the Lott house, awaiting developments. 
 While in this position, and a few minutes after one o'clock, 
 the tremendous artillery firing which preceded Pickett's attack 
 commenced. Not being in the line of fire, however, the offi- 
 
17 
 
 cers and men of the brigade, while allowing their horses to 
 graze, looked with amazement upon the magnificent spectacle. 
 
 As soon as the Michigan Brigade had withdrawn from the 
 field for the purpose of joining Kilpatrick near Round Top, 
 Mcintosh, who had looked well over the ground, determined 
 to ascertain what force was in his front without waiting to be 
 attacked. Accordingly, about two o'clock he ordered Major 
 Beaumont to deploy a strong skirmish line of the First New 
 Jersey, and move it forward, under Major Janeway, towards 
 the wooded crest about half a mile in front of him and a short 
 distance beyond Rummel's, expecting there to find the enemy. 
 This movement was a signal for the deployment of a skirmish 
 line from Rummel's barn, where a strong picket force had 
 been concealed, and which at once occupied a line of fences a 
 short distance to the south. The First New Jersey, which 
 had reached a stone and rail fence parallel with that occupied 
 by the enemy, was dismounted and reinforced from the woods, 
 and immediately became hotly engaged. Two squadrons of 
 the Third Pennsylvania, under Captains Treichel and Rogers, 
 were deployed dismounted to the left in the open fields, and 
 another squadron of the same regiment, under Captain Miller, 
 deployed mounted to the extreme right of the whole line, in 
 the woods covering the cross-road above mentioned, which 
 ran toward the enemy's position.* One squadron of the First 
 New Jersey, under Captain Hart, remained drawn up mounted 
 in the woods, in support of the line. To meet this movement 
 the Confederate skirmish line was strongly reinforced from 
 the woods by dismounted men, and a battery was placed in 
 position on the wooded crest back of the Rummel house and 
 to the left of the cross-road. 
 
 The Confederate battery now opened fire, and Mcintosh 
 sent back for Randol and his guns, at the same time inform- 
 ing General Gregg of the state of affairs, that he was engaged 
 with a greatly superior force, and requesting that Colonel 
 Irvin Gregg's brigade be sent up at the trot to support him. 
 That brigade was yet some distance off, and Gregg, meeting 
 
 -•■' Captain Walsh's squadron of the Third Pennsylvania had been sent out on picket 
 duty still further to the right, but was not actively engaged in the fight. 
 
Custer on the march in the opposite direction, ordered him to 
 return and reinforce Mcintosh, and to remain on the ground 
 until the Third Brigade could be brought up. Custer, ever 
 ready for a fight, was not loth to do so. Wheeling his column 
 about, he moved up at once to Mcintosh's support, and Gen- 
 eral Gregg coming upon the field took command of the forces. 
 In the meantime the enemy attempted to force our lines on 
 the right, but their charge was gallantly repulsed by Miller's 
 squadron of the Third Pennsylvania and Hart's squadron of 
 the First New Jersey in the woods. 
 
 The enemy having filled the large barn at Rummel's with 
 sharpshooters, — who, while picking off our men, were com- 
 pletely protected from our fire, — Captain Randol, upon coming 
 on the ground, placed a section of his battery of three-inch 
 light ordnance guns, under Lieutenant Chester, in position, 
 well to the front, on the edge of an orchard, some distance to 
 the left and beyond the Reever house, and opened upon it. 
 Shell after shell struck the building, soon compelling the 
 enemy to abandon it, and as they did so, the centre of our 
 line advanced and occupied the enemy's line of fences and 
 some of the outbuildings. Having thus pierced their line, a 
 force was sent out to take the enemy in flank, while the left 
 centre moved up to the line of fences, driving back the por- 
 tions of Jenkins' brigade which had occupied it. This 
 movement caused the left of the enemy's line, held by por- 
 tions of Hampton's and Fitzhugh Lee's brigades dismounted, 
 to give way also, and their position was at once taken. The 
 left, the centre, and the right centre of our line was thus ad- 
 vanced, while the right still rested on the woods on the cross- 
 road, and the Sixth Michigan went into position along Little's 
 Run, on the left rear of Treichel's and Rogers' squadrons, oc- 
 cupying the space thus opened, at the same time extending to 
 the left so as to cover the Bonaughtown road. Pennington's 
 battery of six guns, upon arriving on the ground, went into 
 position on the side of the Bonaughtown road, a short dis- 
 tance west of the Spangler house and about two hundred and 
 fifty yards to the left and rear of Chester's section. Between 
 the two, Randol placed his second section, under Lieutenant 
 Kinney, of the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, an officer 
 
19 
 
 of the Reserve Artillery staff, who had volunteered to serve 
 with the battery. By the accuracy of their firing and superior 
 range, Randol's guns soon silenced the enemy's battery on 
 the crest beyond Rummcl's near the cross-road, and Penning- 
 ton's, some guns in position more to our left. 
 
 When the ammunition of the First New Jersey and Third 
 Pennsylvania was becoming exhausted, the Fifth Michigan, 
 armed with Spencer repeating carbines, was ordered to relieve 
 them, and moved up, dismounted, to the front, along a fence 
 which intersected the field lengthwise running at right angles 
 to the skirmish line. The left came up to the line occupied by 
 Treichel's and Rogers' squadrons of the Third Pennsylvania, 
 behind a fence which was slightly retired from that occupied 
 by the First New Jersey ; but before the right could reach the 
 more advanced fence occupied by the First New Jersey, a dis- 
 mounted regiment from W. H. F. Lee's brigade advanced in 
 line to the support of the enemy's skirmishers, who were 
 about to be cut off by the detachment sent out from Rum- 
 mel's, and made a terrific onslaught along the line. Treichel's 
 and Rogers' squadrons of the Third Pennsylvania, and that 
 portion of the Fifth Michigan which had reached their line, 
 held the ground stubbornly. After a while, when the fire had 
 slackened, Treichel and Rogers, who had been ordered to re- 
 tire when the Fifth Michigan came up, endeavored to with- 
 draw their men. The enemy, believing it a signal of retreat, 
 advanced. The Third Pennsylvanians came back upon the 
 line, and again and again this was repeated. 
 
 The First New Jersey remained at the line of fences until 
 the last cartridge was used and the last pistol emptied, and 
 then fell back upon the supports in the woods. This move- 
 ment was taken advantage of by the enemy, and the First 
 Virginia was ordered forward for a mounted charge upon our 
 right centre. As it was seen to start, Mcintosh rode over 
 quickly to the Lott house, where he had left the First Mary- 
 land prepared for such an emergency. Gregg, however, upon 
 coming on the field had moved the regiment over to the right 
 of the Salem Church road, to guard more effectually that im- 
 portant quarter. The Seventh Michigan, which was to take 
 its place, was just then coming on the field from the direction 
 
20 
 
 of the Reever house in column of fours. Custer, who was 
 near, also saw the emergency, ordered close column of squad- 
 rons to be formed at the gallop, and advanced with it to meet 
 the attack. 
 
 As the First New Jersey fell back, the right of the two 
 Third Pennsylvania squadrons, and that portion of the Fifth 
 Michigan which had reached them, swung back behind the 
 fence which ran parallel with the line of the charging column, 
 and intersecting the field lengthwise. 
 
 The Seventh Michigan, a new regiment, advanced boldly to 
 meet the First Virginia, but on coming up to the stone and 
 rail fence, instead of pushing across it, began firing with their 
 repeating carbines. The First Virginia came on in spite of 
 the heavy fire until it reached the fence from the other side. 
 Both regiments fought face to face across the fence with their 
 carbines and revolvers, while a scorching fire was centred 
 upon the First Virginia from either flank. The enemy's dis- 
 mounted line also came up, and assisted the First Virginia to 
 pass the fence, whereupon the Seventh Michigan gave way in 
 disorder, the enemy following in close pursuit. 
 
 The First Virginia becoming strung out by this movement, 
 was exposed to a terrific fire from the two batteries in front, 
 and the heavy skirmish lines on the flanks, while some of the 
 Fifth Michigan, who had succeeded in mounting, advanced 
 to assist the Seventh. It was more than even their gallantry 
 could stand, and the First Virginia fell back on the supports 
 which were fast advancing to its assistance. This was about 
 three o'clock. 
 
 Just then there appeared in the distance, turning the point 
 of woods on the cross-road by the Stallsmith farm, a brigade 
 of cavalry. It was manifest to every one that unless this, 
 the grandest attack of all, was checked, the fate of the day 
 would be decided against the Army of the Potomac. It was 
 Stuart's last reserve and his last resource, for, if the Balti- 
 more pike was to be reached and havoc created in our rear, 
 the critical moment had arrived, as Pickett was even then 
 moving up to the assault of Cemetery Ridge. 
 
 In close columns of squadrons, advancing as if in review, 
 with sabres drawn and glistening like silver in the bright sun- 
 
21 
 
 light, the spectacle called forth a murmur of admiration. It 
 was indeed a memorable one. Chester, being nearest, opened 
 at once with his section, at the distance of three-fourths of a 
 mile. Pennington and Kinney soon did the same. Canister 
 and percussion shell were put into the steadily approaching 
 columns as fast as the guns could fire. The dismounted men 
 fell back to the right and left, and such as could got to their 
 horses. The mounted skirmishers rallied and fell into line. 
 Then Gregg rode over to the First Michigan, which, as it had 
 come upon the field some time before, had formed close col- 
 umn of squadrons between and supporting the batteries, and 
 ordered it to charge. As Colonel Town ordered sabres to be 
 drawn and the column to advance, Custer dashed up with 
 similar orders and placed himself at its head. The two col- 
 umns drew nearer and nearer, the Confederates outnumbering 
 their opponents as three or four to one. The gait increased — 
 first the trot, then the gallop. Hampton's battle-flag floated 
 in the van of the brigade.* The orders of the Confederate 
 officers could be heard by those in the woods on their 
 left: "Keep to your sabres, men! keep to your sabres!" 
 for the lessons they had learned at Brandy Station and at Aldie 
 had been severe. There the cry had been : " Put up your sa- 
 bres! Draw your pistols and fight like gentlemen!" But the 
 sabre was never a favorite weapon with the Confederate cav- 
 alry, and now, in spite of the lessons of the past, the warn- 
 ings of the present were not heeded by all. 
 
 As the charge was ordered, the speed increased, every horse 
 on the jump, every man yelling like a demon. The columns 
 of the Confederates blended, but the perfect alignment was 
 maintained. Chester put charge after charge of canister into 
 their midst, his men bringing it up to the guns by the arm- 
 ful. The execution was fearful, but the long rents closed 
 up at once. As the opposing columns drew nearer and 
 nearer, each with perfect alignment, every man gathered his 
 horse well under him and gripped his weapon the tighter. 
 Though ordered to retire his guns, towards which the head 
 
 * Stuart, in his ofificial report, states that this force consisted of the First North 
 Carolina Cavalry and Jeff Davis Legion, but that gradually the greater portion of his 
 command became involved in the hand-to-hand fighting. 
 
22 
 
 of the assaulting column was directed, Chester kept on 
 until the enemy were within fifty yards, and the head of the 
 First Michigan had come into the line of his fire. Staggered 
 by the fearful execution from the two batteries, the men 
 in the front line of the Confederate column drew in their 
 horses and wavered. Some turned, and the column fanned 
 out to the right and left, but those behind came pressing on. 
 Custer, seeing the front men hesitate, shouted, " Come on, you 
 Wolverines!" and with a fearful yell the First Michigan rushed 
 on, Custer four lengths ahead. 
 
 Mcintosh, as he saw the Confederate column advancing, 
 sent his Adjutant-General, Captain Walter S. Newhall, to the 
 left, with orders to Treichel and Rogers to rally their men for 
 a charge on the flank as it passed. But sixteen men could 
 get their horses, and with five officers they made for the bat- 
 tle-flag. Newhall, back once more with the men of his own 
 regiment, who, as he knew well, would go anywhere, and 
 sharing the excitement of the moment, rushed in by the side 
 of Treichel and Rogers at the head of the little band. Miller, 
 whose squadron of the Third Pennsylvania was already 
 mounted and had rallied, fired a volley from the woods on 
 the right as the Confederate column passed parallel with his 
 line but one hundred yards off, and then, with sabres drawn, 
 charged down into the overwhelming masses of the enemy. 
 
 The small detachment of the Third Pennsylvania under 
 Treichel and Rogers struck the enemy first, all making for 
 the color-guard. Newhall was about seizing the flag when a 
 sabre blow, directed at his head, compelled him to parry it. 
 At the same moment the color-bearer lowered his spear and 
 struck Newhall full in the face, tearing open his mouth and 
 knocking him senseless to the ground. Every officer and 
 nearly every man in the little band was killed or wounded, 
 although some succeeded in cutting their way clear through. 
 Almost at the same moment Miller, with his squadron of the 
 Third Pennsylvania, struck the left flank about two-thirds of 
 the way down the column. Going through and through, he 
 cut off the rear portion and drove it back past Rummel's 
 almost up to the Confederate battery, and nothing but the 
 
23 
 
 heavy losses which he had suffered and the scattering of his 
 men prevented his going further, wounded though he was. 
 
 In the meantime the heads of the two columns had met — 
 the one led by Hampton and Fitz Lee, (for he, too, was there,) 
 and the other by Custer — and were fighting hand to hand. 
 Mcintosh, with his staff and orderlies, and such scattered 
 men from the Michigan and other regiments as he could get 
 together, charged in with their sabres. For minutes, which 
 seemed like hours, amid the clashing of the sabres, the rattle 
 of the small arms, the frenzied imprecations, the demands to 
 surrender, the undaunted replies and the appeals for mercy, 
 the Confederate column stood its ground. Captain Thomas 
 of the staff, seeing that a little more was needed to turn the 
 tide, cut his way over to the woods on the right, where he 
 knew he could find Hart, with his fresh squadron of the First 
 New Jei'sey. In the melee, near the colors, was an officer of 
 high rank, and the two headed the squadron for that part 
 of the fight. They came within reach of him with their 
 sabres, and then it was that Wade Hampton was wounded. 
 
 By this time the edges of the Confederate column had 
 begun to fray away, and the outside men to turn back. As 
 Hart's squadron, and the other small parties who had rallied 
 and mounted, poured down from all sides, the enemy turned. 
 Then followed a pell-mell rush, our men in close pursuit. 
 Many prisoners were captured, and many of our men, through 
 their impetuosity, were carried away by the overpowering 
 current of the retreat.* 
 
 The pursuit was kept up past Rummel's, and the enemy 
 were driven back into the woods beyond. The line of fences 
 and the farm buildings, which constituted the key-point of 
 the field, and which, in the beginning of the fight, had been 
 in the possession of the enemy, remained in ours until the 
 end. All serious fighting for the day was over, for Pickett's 
 
 "••■ The successful result of this magnificent cavalry charge was attributed by the 
 victors to the steadiness' and efficiency with which they used the sabre ett masse, against 
 greatly superior numbers, many of whom had exchanged that weapon for the revolver. 
 It should be a strong point, in the present discussions, in favor of the retention of the 
 sabre as a cavalryman's weapon. 
 
24 
 
 simultaneous assault had also been repulsed, and the victory 
 along the line was complete. Skirmishing, and some desultory 
 artillery firing, was kept up at intervals by both forces until 
 after nightfall, these disturbances being caused by the en- 
 emy's endeavors to recover their killed and wounded, who 
 were lying thickly strewn over the field in our possession. 
 At dark Stuart withdrew to the York pike, preparatory to 
 covering the retreat of Lee's army towards the Potomac. In 
 the evening Custer's brigade was ordered to join its division. 
 Gregg remained all night in possession of the field, and in the 
 morning started in pursuit of the retreating enemy. 
 
 The losses of the Confederate cavalry were unmistakably 
 heavy, but have not been ascertained. General Gregg report- 
 ed the losses in his division to be one officer and thirty-three 
 enlisted men killed, seventeen officers and forty enlisted men 
 wounded, and one officer and one hundred and three enlisted 
 men missing — total, one hundred and ninety-five. These 
 losses were suffered principally by the Third Pennsylvania and 
 First New Jersey Cavalry regiments, which had borne the 
 brunt of the fighting of the division. By the time the Third 
 Brigade had come up, the Michigan Brigade had gotten so 
 deeply into the fight that it could not be withdrawn. The 
 Third Brigade had consequently been held in reserve close 
 at hand during the fight, drawn up in position south of the 
 Bonaughtown road on either side of the Salem Church road. 
 
 Custer in his official report stated his losses to be nine 
 officers and sixty-nine enlisted men killed, twenty-five officers 
 and two hundred and seven enlisted men wounded, and seven 
 officers and two hundred and twenty-five enlisted men miss- 
 ing — total, five hundred and forty-two. 
 
 It has been claimed that Gregg's fight at Gettysburg was 
 the finest cavalry fight of the war. To borrow the language 
 of Custer in his report of it: "I challenge the annals of war- 
 fare to produce a more brilliant or successful charge of cav- 
 alry thfln the one just recounted." 
 
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